Musings from Another Trip

The other night I met someone who had recently traveled through East Africa and we ended up having quite the heartfelt conversation. I told him about the work I did in Tanzania and he asked me 2 questions, both of which I have asked myself many times since returning. The first question was what did I find most inspiring about Africa? The answer was easy: the women. When I think about Africa, they are the first image that comes to mind. I picture the landscape, brown, barren, and raw, with a woman walking across it, a baby strapped to her back and an immense bushel of brushwood balancing on her head. Yet, if you looked at her face and in her eyes, it might as well be the world she was carrying. This woman is wearing a bright kenga wrapped around her body and on her head. To me, this juxtaposition of the woman’s bright kenga against the rough and dry background represents the strength and determination of the women of Africa. These women who wear such bright colours and yet carry such heavy burdens symbloize the eternal hope of Africa, which can shine through even the thickest dust.

The second question he asked me is how have I been dealing with it since I’ve returned? This is something that I’ve been struggling with. Now that I’ve been there, seen the struggle these people live with everyday, talked to them, heard their sad stories, what do I do with it? Do I acknowledge it, say “that sucks” and live my life? Or by witnessing such things am I now obligated to do everything that I can, use my life in purely altruistic ways? I guess the obvious answer is somewhere in the middle. Witness it, learn from it, and never forget it. Live your life in constant realization of how truly lucky you are that you were born in Canada, and that you have so many options available to you. And, of course, when the opportunity arises to help, even in the smallest of ways, recognize that you have that ability.

I had actually been asking myself these questions long before I ran into this guy (I think being away from home always allows you to think of things in a different light), I guess he just got me to really consider my answers.

On a similar note, if you haven’t read “Race Against Time” by Stephen Lewis, you really should. The man’s my hero: to have seen so much, to have such an understanding of the enormity of what is happening in Africa and how little is actually being done and yet to still keep trying and keep hope is something really inspiring. His book really relays the frustrations of the issue, how it can elicits such opposing emotions at the exact same time. Pick it up.